Bortoleto explained that he had approached Verstappen seeking advice before a race: “I ran up to him because I wanted some guidance—I was starting on the front row and wanted to do well. He replied in two words: flat out.” Verstappen humorously asked how it went, to which Gabriel Bortoleto admitted, “Turn one… I crashed.” Yet, the two had already met previously at Adria. Verstappen recalled observing Gabriel Bortoleto in karting: “I was there with my team, and he was racing for my old kart team. I was curious about this guy with long hair winning everything, so I asked for a photo.” the Brazilian found it surreal that a Formula 1 driver would ask a photo from him, and it left him thrilled.
Their bond strengthened over time, with moments shared both on and off the track, including slipstream exchanges, driver parade conversations, and mutual respect. Gabriel Bortoleto praised Max Verstappen’s consistency: “What I’ve always liked about Max is that every time I meet him, he’s the same. I don’t want to be controversial, but 90% of other drivers don’t behave like him. If you’re racing in F1, they treat you a certain way; otherwise, they barely notice you. Max has never been like that. He helped me even before I arrived in F1, and he does the same with other young drivers on the simulator.”
Their friendship began on virtual tracks. The Brazilian driver admitted: “At first, I was really bad—I spun at every corner while Max drove flawlessly. Then I started taking it seriously and understood why he spends so much time on the simulator: it prepares your brain for all the unusual situations you might face on a real track.” Max Verstappen joked that now they race together, but Gabriel Bortoleto handles the setups: “He thinks he can improve on me, so he tweaks the car whenever he matches my lap times and ends up slower every time.”
Gabriel Bortoleto described a different, more human Max Verstappen outside the car: “Max is an absolute animal on track. He’s behind you one moment and has passed without mercy the next. Off track, he can stop and talk to fans for hours. He wants to be himself, always, even in interviews.” The Red Bull driver added that people often assume he dislikes speaking to journalists, even his father thinks he’s lazy. The truth, he said, is that he saves all his energy for driving. Becoming a father hasn’t slowed him down either: “After a bad race, I come home, see my daughter smile, and I forget everything.”
The friendship could even lead to future team opportunities. Max Verstappen noted: “I care about how someone behaves off track. On track, it’s normal to bump into each other, even teammates, but a pair of drivers truly clashing usually happens off camera. I appreciate Gabi’s attitude—he’s hungry but humble, a killer on track and self-critical off it. I’ve always told my team to watch him. I hope in a few years he’ll be in a competitive team; if we end up together, even better.”
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